


Hellfire

by SkatingDJ



Category: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gay, High School, Homophobia, How Do I Tag, Humor, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Magic, POV First Person, Self-Hatred, Sex, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, dont worry im not giving up, no beta we die like men, no idea where im going with this tbh, thought i did
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 11:45:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12168213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkatingDJ/pseuds/SkatingDJ
Summary: Simon, Baz and Penelope take up the Normal life, but apparently, the Humdrum left a devastating effect upon the World of Magick, and it's up to our favorite trio to save(?) the day. Meanwhile, Simon and Baz are suffering the consequences of their relationship, and the fact that Simon isn't magick and Baz is a vampire might just tear the two apart. Penelope, on the other hand, might be a lesbian and may be the only thing keeping the team's shit together.





	Hellfire

**PENELOPE**

_“Let's go!” Simon yelled, his sword in hand (wait –how does he have the sword?), running towards Watford which was beginning to crumble around them. Or was that Baz? Was it Simon and Baz? I wasn't paying too much attention..._

_My attention was set on Agatha who had been acting uncharacteristically strange around me ever since Watford was going to Hell... again. Currently, Agatha was in a terrified (or was it more depressed?) state; she sat atop the entrance stairwell to the school, unmoving and not breathing. Her arms were timidly folded over her chest and her face was etched with fear (or was it more sorrowful?). Her hair ghosted over her frail shoulders and her pink lips twisted in doubt. My mind was torn; I desperately wanted to know what was going through her mind, but we didn't have time. Watford was falling to ashes and Agatha wasn't even phased. This tendency of her's was going to get me killed... (Did Agatha feel like this when the Humdrum attacked Ebb, Simon and the Mage?) But I couldn't leave her alone._

_“Agatha,” I asked with concern laced in my voice as I knelt down to her level, “what's wrong?”_

_“You.” Agatha spoke, looking up as tears coated her eyes._

_I blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”_

_“I've wanted you for so long-” Her voice was hushed, but filled with such hurt._

_Had I caused this misery?_

_Rubble came dangerously close to crushing us and I didn't have enough magick to dispell us out of harm's way. I wildly whipped my head around as I realized that we needed to fucking move our asses._

_“Agatha, come on, we have to go!”_

_“I can't continue...” Agatha choked out, refusing to get up, “I love you but I can't – you can't –”_

_Oh Merlin, she loves me._

_For some reason, my brain suddenly thought that Agatha loving me was all it ever needed to hear, and my heart didn't judge it for a moment. I closed my eyes and leaned in, my lips pressing against Agatha's. The world may be crumbling around us, but I was willing to die on the steps of Watford if Agatha just didn't let me go. Our noses got in the way, and my bloody inexperience was prohibiting further expedition, but just for a moment... it was perfect. Agatha's rosy lips, corn-silk hair, and her incurvate, succulent cheeks were the softest thing I've ever touched on planet Earth._

_It felt precious, beautiful, amazing. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I was addicted._

_Was this love?_

_When we were finally interrupted by more collapsing debris, I talked as if I had loved Agatha all along._

_“Better?” Agatha nodded bashfully, finally smiling. My heart soared.._. and I opened my eyes.

* * *

 

I woke up frowning.

Not because I was disappointed that I had awoken or what had partaken in the dream per se, but because I was downright confused. I looked over to Simon who had thankfully not waken up. I had woken up a half-hour earlier than usual. My first lesson began early (as I have obviously taken the liberty of taking as many courses as possible), but I never need much time to prepare. I had more than an hour to spare. Normally, I would take this time to check for any Instagram or YouTube updates, but my mind wasn't focusing on that in the least bit.

Okay, sure, it was a dream. But I kissed someone. And that someone was a girl. And that girl was Agatha. And boy, did that kiss feel damn _good_.

Fuck me sideways with a chainsaw. I've been hanging out with gay people and lesbians all my life and it's finally taking a toll on my mental psyche.

My phone vibrated as an email came in (I always left my phone on vibrate. It was always on me and the ring-tone always bothered people around me). There was only one person on planet Earth who would bother to email me at this time in the morning. Or, email me at all as a matter of fact...

_Hi Penelope,_

_Good to hear that you're also top of your class over in the Normal's university. Basilton isn't giving you too much trouble for it, is he?_

_It hasn't even been a year, but things are picking back up at Watford, as you can imagine. Taking the Mage's place is honestly what I would have expected; hard work, but nothing I can't handle._

_However, if I'm being honest, Watford isn't the same, and it's not because of the accident. Less magickal students are being enrolled and found and the magick itself is just not the same. It's as if it's going away._

_Your father says that it's the Humdrum's dry spots taking effect on the students and that it's nothing to worry about. It'll all go away eventually. I have no patience for such theories or listening to him ramble on, as you know._

_Just focus on yourself._

_Love, Mum_

I don't know how many times I've told Mum that Baz and I attend different universities, and she only reminds me how slow Watford's progress is every time I get a word with her. It's well known that she is quite the impatient woman. But I give her credit; if she wants something done, she gets it done. I just wish that she could understand how patience is a virtue and that things heal with time.

“Can Watford not last a year without us?” I sighed to myself out loud.

“Can Watford not last a year without us fucking things up? Honestly, I do hope so.” Simon flashed a dashingly confident grin at me (or, as dashing as he could make it, being that he was still quite sleepy), making me roll my eyes.

I growled, “My mum won't shut up about how it's absolute chaos over at Watford...”

“Is that what this is about?” Simon said in an exasperated voice, pandiculating all the while.

“You know my mother.” I chortled sarcastically.

“It's so damn early for your mum to be giving you an earful...” He whined, curling back under the covers.

“Then go back to sleep, I'm going to brew myself a cup of tea,” I hoisted myself out of bed and shuffled towards the kitchen, “Would you like any?”

A groan came from the mountain of sheets surrounding Simon's body.

Coffee it was, then.

I romped my way into the kitchen, deciding to create a spot of tea the normal way; it was a rather relaxing ritual. However, making coffee was so standard. So, I gathered the necessary ingredients and recited a magick joke to get the kettle boiling and beans grinding, **“This coffee tastes like dirt–”**

**“–What did you expect? It was just ground this morning.”**

The spell would work twice as fast if two people participated, as if it were an actual joke. I turned around to see Baz sauntering in through the doorway of our room. Since his aunt Fiona had become some sort of bona-fide, authoritative vampire hunter, it wasn't wise for Baz to be chilling in her flat. His parents wanted him to come with them to their new home, but Baz wanted to go to The London School of Economics and Political Science. (I'll bet my dragon gold – if I had any – that he stayed because of Simon.) So, he ultimately decided to rent out a room in the same flat we resided in. (I'll bet my damn life – I actually have one of those – that Baz and Simon secretly wanted to share a room together.) And of course, we gave him a key to our room, and we have a key to his.

* * *

 

**BAZ**

“Good morning, Pennywise.” I spoke, leaning against the kitchen cabinets.

“Basil,” Penny responded.

I painfully rolled my eyes, “Please don't call me that; I am not a motel manager and my last name isn't Fawlty.”

“Then I'm not a creepy-ass clown that lives in sewers and eats little children,” She retorted.

“Oh, come on,” I teased, “I've seen you on that time on the month...”

“Well, to be more accurate, I'm not creepy-ass, I'm bitchy. I hermit up in my bed, not a dingy sewer, and I eat chocolate, not children.”

I raised my arms in surrender, “Alright, you win.”

The kettle shrieked as it came to a rupturing boil. It then proceeded to float over to the insta-coffee machine and pour it's scalding water down into the basin where it filtered through the ground beans, making a steaming batch of heaven in a pot.

“Would you like some breakfast, Baz?” Penny offered, pouring out some cereal for herself.

Even though I had a midnight snack that consisted of an assortment of outdoor critters, I could really use some actual food in my stomach. “Just a little bit of whatever you're having.” I said, looking away.

She got the point.

“Where's Snow?” I asked.

“He's not as academically driven as us, so he gets to sleep in.” She sneered in a kidding manner.

“Even so, it's quite early, even for you, Penelope.” The coffee was finished; the simmering pot poured its contents into two mugs. I snatched one and drank the substance gratefully. (Yes, I take my coffee black, like my soul.)

Penny slid over a bowl of cheerios towards me as she took a seat at the table with her breakfast. “Mum woke me up.”

I joined her at the table. “No offense, but she seriously needs to give you some space.”

“It's funny,” She snorted, “when I was at the house, she would never give anyone the time of day, and now that I'm out of her hair, she's persistent to be tangled in my business. She's being a bit of a tosser, to be honest.”

Penny then began to stir in an illegal amount of cream and inserted a diabetic measure of sugar into her coffee, which almost caused me an aneurysm.

“Penny, you're going to give yourself diabetes. Or worse, a heart-attack.” I deadpanned.

“Believe me,” Penny groaned, “I need it after–” She hesitated, her eyes growing slightly wide.

I cocked an eyebrow, halting my sip of coffee, “After what?”

“Uh, Simon is gonna be late if he doesn't get his ass out of bed. Would you be a dear and go wake your boyfriend up, Baz?” Penny said, all too conveniently.

That wasn't suspicious. I had finished my tiny bowl of cereal, but I was going to leave my coffee abandoned. “Sure thing, it's not like I have a nice pot of coffee to finish–”

 **“Some like it hot!”** Penny chanted loudly, making sure that my coffee was practically boiling.

If Penny was willing to recite two spells in the span of a half-hour from waking up, I did not want to coax her into performing a third... on me. Something was on her mind; Bunce was many things, but a decent liar was not one of them.

* * *

**“Rise and shine!”** I cheered in a faux boisterous, sing-song voice that I glossed over with my morning magic.

The bed sheets flew off Simon's body (that was tucked into an adorable fetus position; his wings huddled around his shoulders and his tail curled possessively around one of his legs) and the windows burst open, the twitter and chatter of imaginary woodland creatures filled the warm air which wafted through the room, all the while sunlight and dandelion dust floating about. (Definitely imaginary, because for one, not many woodland creatures lived in the bustling city of London, unlike Watford. And two, I'm pretty sure that whatever was out there, I picked them all off last night.)

“Would it have killed you to wake me up with a good morning kiss or something?”

I walked over to Simon's bed and leaned down to whisper, “I'll give you a proper good morning kiss if you want to take a shower...”

Simon got up in a heartbeat. His wings almost swatted me in the face in his sudden movement. He snatched my wrist and dragged me towards the wash closet, his tail almost tripping me over in the process.

“Penny!” I hollered (good thing I had left the door a smidge open), “Would you be a dear and keep my coffee warm for just a little longer?”

* * *

 

**SIMON**

There's only two things that can wake me up in the morning: coffee (if I feel like it, so really it's only a 50 percent chance) and Baz (this is a 100 percent chance, 200 percent chance if he wants to go take a shower).

Merlin, Baz was beautiful. What ever did I do to deserve him?

Once we were both locked in the bathroom, I took the hem of his gray, long-sleeved shirt and pulled it over his head. I gazed at his chest and stomach. He was leaner than I was. He wasn't adorned with muscles in the least bit, but the thinness suited him well. It made him look graceful.

“My,” Baz hummed, “You must be very needy this morning if you haven't even questioned why I'm taking a shower in the morning.”

“Alright then,” I smirked, leaning towards Baz's neck, “Tell me, why are you taking a shower in the morning?”

“I had a bit of a late night snack last night and I feel gross.” Baz replied in between gasps as I kissed the column of his neck.

I pouted, “Not because you wanted to make out with me?”

Baz pulled away, refraining himself from smiling (such a shame, I really loved Baz's smile.) “Who do you think I am? A ravishing beast?”

“You seem pretty ravishing to me.” I chuckled, kissing him on the lips this time.

Baz struggled to get a word in. “You're wasting water...”

I began to step into the shower.

“Crowley!” Baz exclaimed, “You're clothes!”

My lips curled, “You first.” Baz shook his head in defeat as he undid the string of his pajama bottoms and the band of his knickers, switching them for a complete birthday suit.

“Merlin, how do you look so sexy doing that?” I drawled, completely infatuated.

Baz chortled, “Maybe it's because you look like a complete wanker when you do the same.”

“Hey!” I whined, “It's not my fault that my wings and tail make taking off and putting on clothes more difficult and less attractive!”

“Then let me help you...” Baz went for my shirt, but this would ruin the moment. It's a hassle to get my clothes on and off, even if I did tear holes in the back of my shirts and on the tailbone of my pants.

“It's okay, you can use a spell.”

Baz looked at me and frowned, but I stared at him right back, giving him full permission to use magick on me. (Baz and Penny did their best to use magick inconspicuously around me, and I respected that, a lot.)

 **“Birthday suit.”** Baz spoke quietly in a powerful voice.

My clothes peeled away from my skin, but they weren't torn. They folded themselves neatly on the sink cabinet, leaving me entirely naked. We both stepped into the shower, the water was way to hot. Like, the way girls like it. I leaned down and turned the knob cooler. When I looked up again, I was face to face with a dripping Baz. I sight I'd never thought I'd see, but one I couldn't live without. His hair was slicked back with water; I didn't like it. I stepped closer and ran my fingers through his hair. He glanced down and finally smiled, his arms wrapping around my neck.

Baz leaned in as my eyes fluttered shut.

“What are you doing?” My eyes snapped open. Baz's arms coiled back to reveal a bar of soap resting in his palm from the soap dish behind my back. I sputtered in embarrassment. Baz then began to giggle (one of the most blessed sounds on Earth) as his lips attacked mine. My arms scooped Baz's thin body into a passionate embrace. Soon enough, we were snogging in the shower, our hands grasping at whatever skin they could grasp. I purred darkly as I elected delicious gasps and moans of pleasure from Baz.

Merlin, I wished this would never end–

Our bodies smacked onto the bottom of the shower with a thud, my wings protecting both of us from the hard, tiled floor.

Apparently, my tail was the culprit.

“Simon!” Baz tried to say with disappointment, but could only find himself laughing. He rolled his body on top of me, straddling my body.

I covered my face with my arm, smiling. I felt my arm slowly being removed and kisses being delivered across my chest and up my neck, eventually trailing up to my lips. I could feel his fangs (I had figured out that they were also triggered by sexual intercourse, which I found hot as all Hell) clacking against my teeth. His hands held my face gently, his body shielding me from the pouring water.

Baz gave me everything; his life, my life.

“I love you so much, you know that, right?” I whispered between kisses, my yearn for him making my heart physically ache.

Baz ran his fingertips over my closed eyelids, urging for them to open. I slowly opened my eyes to see Baz's face only an inch from mine, a soft smile graced upon his face. It was beautiful...

He spoke, “I love you more...”

What did I do to deserve him?

* * *

 

**PENELOPE**

Those bastards are going to make me late, and I'm not wasting anymore magick on Baz's coffee–

Simon suddenly burst from the bedroom door. “Sorry we're late, I was doing things!”

“Let me guess,” I glanced over to see Baz following closely behind, “ _you_ were 'things'?” I gestured towards Baz.

The boys could only smile innocently at me. Merlin, I lived with actual children. Had I only now realized that?

“You two can finish up later, let's go!” I huffed, picking up my things and rushing towards the door. “And yes, Simon, I have breakfast.” I opened the door for the two.

I closed up our flat as I heard Simon and Baz saying farewell to each other. Baz went to LSE, while we went to King's College. We had specifically chosen that school since they were close by, it made life easier for everyone (The boys didn't wander too far from my supervision, in other words). Without ushering a word, I trotted outside and checked my watch; we missed the bus. No matter, we (meaning mostly me) chose our flat precisely so that we sat squat in the middle of both of our universities. It was less than a ten minute walk either way. With Simon at my heels, I pressed forward.

“Here,” I said to Simon, handing him a brown-bag containing pastries.

He greedily took it and inhaled his food.

Normally, I would take this time to zone out and listen to music or chat it up with Simon... but my mind drifted back to the bizarre dream I had last night. I guess I must really suck at hiding the fact that something was on my mind. Incredibly so if Simon was able to observe that something was bothering me.

“What are you thinking about, Penny?”

I hesitated for a brief moment. The dream of her kissing Agatha flooded my mind. The feeling made me feel dizzy. The feeling of someone _wanting_ me, and me being able to gladly give it back, and loving every minute of it. It was such a lovely feeling. There was no way I was going to tell Simon about this. _Especially_ since it was Agatha. I couldn't. We shared everything, but this was too close, too soon, especially for Simon.

 _But what if Simon could help?_ A voice supplied in my mind.

_Don't be stupid, Bunce._

I sighed before speaking. “Well, we were in the dream and we were saving Watford again...”

Simon cocked an eyebrow. “That's it?”

“Baz was plotting.” I responded with a sheepish grin. It was a downright lie, but I prayed that I was smooth enough.

“I see.”

* * *

 

**SIMON**

Bunce was good at many things, but one thing she wasn't good at was being a liar.


End file.
